PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) A well-known U.S. shoe company will begin making its footwear in Haiti early next year.
TOMS shoes spokesman Doug Piwinski said the California-based business plans to open its facility in January at a complex near the international airport in the Caribbean nation's capital.
The company will begin employing 50 Haitian workers and hopes to have twice that number of employees by year's end. Piwinski said wages will be "competitive" but declined to elaborate.
A portion of the shoes made in Haiti will stay in the country and be distributed through non-governmental organizations.
TOMS also employs 31 Haitian artisans to hand paint shoes for a limited-edition collection.
